NZFN’s Sam Mossman and Grant Dixon took the opportunity to join Scott Malcon from Daiwa distributors Brittain Wynyard Ltd and trial some of the company’s latest inshore tackle.
The platform for the trip was the Marsden Cove-based charter boat Sumo, skippered by Steve Martinovich. Ring-ins for the trip were Grant Dixon’s daughter Miah and long-time Fishing News associate Richard Bathurst.
Weather in the early spring had been a bit dodgy, but the chilly 15 knots blowing in Bream Bay didn’t trouble Sumo. However, the full moon was more significant, dampening the fishing activity. This saw only a couple of snapper and big blue mackerel caught while deep-water soft-baiting and jigging over the boys’ usual ‘honey holes’.
Fortunately, a change to old-school anchoring, berleying and stray-lining at the Hen and Chicks produced the goods, with a bunch of fat, take-home snapper filling the ice bin. Although most of the four test rigs were primarily designed for use with soft-baits or various slow-jigs, they proved their versatility by being effective at straylining baits, too. This resulted in some decent snapper giving the tackle a good workout and providing a decent feed.
Daiwa Lexa CC300
The Lexa range is Daiwa’s most featurepacked baitcaster (the CC300 even features a ratchet), and is designed to handle the pressure of decent-sized saltwater fish and the corrosive aspects of a saltwater environment.
Gear ratio: 7.1:1
Bearings: 6BB, 1RB
Weight: 298g
Max drag: 10kg
Line capacity: 40lb/220m
Daiwa TD Sol 702MHFB
Also available in spin version, the TD Sol is a seven-footer that breaks down into two pieces for easier transportation and storage.
Sections: two
Length: 213cm
Line weight: 5-9kg
Cast weight: 7-28g
Combo RRP: $650
Rigged with 15lb (7kg) Multi Colour J-Braid and featuring a full-length EVA butt grip but very short foregrip, this rig sees the angler naturally tucking the butt under his/her arm and cradling the reel and reel seat comfortably in their left hand when fighting fish. A decent counter-balanced ‘T’ grip and smooth, powerful drag makes the rig a great one for taking on tough fish. This rig is suited to the various types of slow-jigging, as well as deep soft-baiting. Although gearing is a high 7.1:1, enabling plenty of retrieval speed, there are no torque issues when cranking in baits or heavier lures.
The long EVA butt protects the blank from rod-holder edges, and thanks to the addition of the ratchet on the reel, this rig also suits light trolling and bait fishing with stray-lining and ledger rigs. A great all-rounder. - SM
Daiwa Lexa 300HD
The Lexa 300HD has a similar pedigree to its brother, the CC300, with near-identical specifications; only the ratchet is missing.
Gear ratio: 7.1:1
Bearings: 6BB, 1RB
Weight: 298g
Max drag: 10kg
Line capacity: 40lb/220m
Daiwa Saltist Coastal SAC601 MHB
The Saltist Coastal rod series combines beautifully with small, compact reels loaded with braid for inshore jig fishing. This one-piece stick measures 1.83m (6’) and has the now-familiar skeletonised butt grip, along with a decent fore-grip.
Sections: one
Length: 183cm
Line weight: PE 1-3
Cast weight: 180g
Combo RRP: $750
This rig was loaded with 20lb (9kg) multi-colour J-Braid. As a shorter rod with a skeleton butt, it’s more suited to specialised fishing using slow-pitch/kabura/inchiku jigs. The butt design makes the rod lighter (and perhaps a bit more sensitive to light takes), but offers little protection from a rod holder, making it best fished in the hand. (The lack of a ratchet on the reel also drops a big hint as to what Daiwa has designed this rig for.) However, the reel provided a flawless performance on some solid snapper when fishing baits, with a nice palm-filling ‘mushroom’ handle, smooth, powerful drag, and excellent reel tolerances. - SM
Saltist Nero Magseal 2500
The all-metal body with a sharp-looking matt-black finish forms the foundations for this latest iteration of the Saltist, housing Daiwa’s Digigear Drive System, which delivers up to 15% more cranking power than conventional gears.
Gear ratio: 5.6:1 (84cm of line per turn)
Bearings: 6BB, 1RB
Weight: 275g
Drag: 7kg
Line capacity: 7kg (15lb)/170m
TD Sol 701 HFS
Sections: one
Length: 213cm
Line weight: 5-9kg
Cast weight: 7-28g
Combo RRP: $550
This dedicated soft-baiting rod is seven foot long and has an attractive, medium-fast action. As for the sharp-looking reel, it has a modest gear ratio of 5.6:1, so there were no torque issues when cranking big lures and jigs out of even 50-60m. The construction tolerances are excellent too, giving the gears, handle and bearings a rock-solid feel. - SM
Daiwa Saltist Magseal 2500 reel and Saltist Coastal 70M rod
Saltist Magseal 2500
This version of the Saltist spin reel introduces top-line Daiwa technology at a price point not available before. Digigear II, Magseal, ATD, Magsealed line roller and Air Rotor feature in the Saltist, which was loaded with 4.5kg (10lb) Chartreuse J-Braid.
Gear ratio: 5.6:1 (84cm)
Bearings: 8BB, 1RB
Weight: 270g
Drag: 4kg
Line capacity: PE 1.5/200m
Saltist Coastal 70M
Sections: one
Length: 213cm
Line weight: 4-7kg
Cast weight: 7-21g
Combo RRP $700
Also designed squarely for the soft-baiting market, this rig features a seven-foot blank with a crisp, medium-fast tip action. The attractively finished black-and-blue Saltist Magseal 2500 matches the cosmetics of the Saltist Coastal 70m and is up-spec’ed from the Nero, featuring eight ball bearings and a roller bearing, with 5.6:1 gearing and, again, rock-solid gear tolerances. A brilliant rig to fish with. - SM
By being flexible, we finished the day with a nice catch of snapper on ice, and gave the new Daiwa tackle a tough workout. The rigs were passed around between the anglers, and such was their overall quality that there were no real favourites that anglers were reluctant to give up.
Anglers will be well-served by any of these rigs, depending on preferences, with the Lexa CC300-TD Sol 702MHFB combination being a bit more of an all-rounder, the Lexa 300HD-Saltist Coastal SAC601 MHB targeting slow-jigs more, and the two Saltist Magseal rigs both proving ideal for soft-baiting, but at different price points.
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